


Oneshots

by BoWritesStuff



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-28 09:03:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15704073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoWritesStuff/pseuds/BoWritesStuff
Summary: Oneshots for the Game Grumps fandom!!





	1. Everything

It was a mistake to pick up this game again. 

Well, not exactly. It was a mistake to pick up this playthrough at three in the morning. Danny was wrapped in a blanket, starting to nod off again before Arin started up the game. Their last save was still there, and Arin set up the audio capture before sitting back down on the couch. 

“Hello, we’re-” Arin tried to sound at least a little enthusiastic, but Dan cut him off. 

“We’re tired.” Danny’s muffled voice comes from his small pile of pillows and blankets. “It’s three in the morning, and I’ve built a cocoon of blankets.”

“And we’re playing Everything! You guys have been requesting it, and we’re really really tired so I thought that this would be a perfect time to play this again.” Arin said with a smile. Danny lazily tried to focus his eyes. 

“God, I was barely able to watch this game when I was awake and sober, and you’re trying to get me to watch it when I’m tired and dying?” Danny whined, tossing a few of the blankets off of himself. 

The game loaded up back to where they were, back to the black background with strange, constantly shifting lines that just barely make something along the lines of a 3D shape. It was confusing to understand what was happening, but Arin tried to play all the same, fueled only by coffee and Danny’s confused, tired muttering. 

“I do really like the idea… idea that everything loves everything,” Danny mutters, watching through fluttering eyelids as Arin’s 3D shape sings to the others, forming bonds and making groups of them that float through the abyss of space. 

“I’m glad, Danny.” he said with a smile, knowing that his friend is quickly falling asleep and is trying to stay awake by talking. 

“And… maybe, if we really think hard… Maybe universes… maybe they care about us.” Dan said, now just blabbering, making little attempts to even watch the game anymore. Arin smiled at the thought. 

“Yeah. Man, you’re really tired, aren’t you?” 

“I’m woke as fuck man.” Dan breathed deeply for a few moments, and Arin was scared that Dan maybe fell asleep. But he took another deep breath to speak. “And maybe the stars… they… they want us to flourish. And be happy… And maybe the planets are there for us to look up at and admire and explore. 

“You’re really tired. Take a nap, I can handle this game by myself.” Arin said, patting Danny’s messy hair. Dan nodded, then nodded off for a minute. 

“I know you can. But… I want the universe to love. And I want to love people… Love people until people don’t need hate to get...Attention? Love? I don’t know what they want. But I want to make people happy.” Dan finally went quiet,and his breathing evened out until Arin knew he was sleeping. 

The rest of the game was recorded with only a few comments. He didn’t want to wake up Dan, who was leaning on him and starting to snore just a little. 

Dan was always an understanding and optimistic person, but when he was sleepy and was starting to forget that they were adults, he would blabber nonsense. Something a child would say when they’re trying to impress their parents, or something teenagers would think when looking up at the stars after a long, difficult year. He speaks his mind, and his mind only speaks happiness. 

Of wishes and magic and beauty. In everything. In the stars that humans have first loved, then relied on. In people, some of them worthy of love, and the few that are not. He sees beauty in everything and anything that he is able to love. 

And he does is so… gracefully. Even when he’s on the verge of sleep he’s able to talk of space and stars and how they might just watch us grow and build and be so proud of us. 

He speaks like a creator boasting about the universe he has created, so proud of these little things that mean so much to him. Like an ancient god that has remembered what love feels like after centuries of the freezing darkness of space. 

“And next time on Game Gr/umps, hopefully we’ll be less sleepy.”


	2. Agent! AU

Every government has their own secrets, whether it be for the good of the nation or otherwise. Every government has their own organization of spies, people who they can trust, people who will lay down their lives for the greater good. Every government has their secret army, watching and listening. 

And in the small country of Acrya their best kept secret, their organization of spies, and their secret army was just composed of a small group of people, all of them only a few years out of college. Although they don’t even reach a dozen people in numbers, it’s the more efficient and most deadly group of spies and agents that any first world country has seen in a long time. 

Due to its location, the island country is a prime place for criminals to escape to, close enough to the mainland to flee to on a moment’s notice, but far enough that it’s difficult to catch them. Acrya is in league with many powerful countries, working together with them to round up the criminals that escape to the island. The island’s limited economy is mostly tourism (the beaches are gorgeous when dead criminals aren’t ruining the view), catching wanted criminals (where most of the money comes from), and a various array of crabs (the children of the island like to catch pretty crabs to sell to the restaurants). 

The people whose jobs are to keep the nation safe is a small group of friends. Agents Dan and Arin, Suzy who is the only spy of the group, Ross the only hacker of the group, and Brian, who is a strategist and scientist. 

Although they don’t look like much, they’ve caught hundreds of criminals and crumbled entire criminal empires. And today they hope to do it again. 

-

The shots that were echoing in the distance one moment ago are now ringing through the air. Although Arin has been on thousands of missions, this never gets old. Most missions don’t end up like this, but the ones that do always frighten him. He only has a few seconds to find cover in the rocky edge of the beach before the gunshots are alarmingly close. Geysers of sand and water shoot up from bullets that slam into the ground. 

Shots heard on the western side of the island. Agent Arin, are you alright? The voice is loud and clear, and calming. It’s Suzy talking to him through their communication earpiece. 

“I’ve been better.” Arin grits his teeth as another bullet whizzes past him not too far to his left, and he can only hope that they don’t notice him cowering behind the volcanic rock. He only has his pistol with him, and the enemy vastly outnumbered him. 

Police forces will be there momentarily. Hold on. Agent Dan, what about you? Suzy’s authoritative voice rings out loud and clear, and for a moment Arin almost feels safe.

Until Dan doesn’t answer. 

Agent Dan, reply immediately. Suzy’s voice is still level, but it’s obviously starting to bother her. Another voice pipes up. 

Dan’s on the same beach as you, Arin. Can you see him? It’s Ross, whose main job during these missions is to make sure that Dan and Arin don’t get separated. Both agents wear trackers on them, so it’s very unlikely that Dan is anywhere else. 

Arin slowly glances around the rock. The rocky beach makes it difficult to see anything besides the brightly colored pieces of trash and the deep midnight black of obsidian. But there’s no sign of Dan. 

No visuals of Dan, but it’s difficult to see anything out here. Arin’s starting to get really worried now. These battles are often won because of Dan and Arin’s teamwork, and without that… who knows what might happen?

Agent Dan, report in right now-

Arin hears a shot, and a scream. And a second later, he hears it echo again in his earpiece. Everything goes quiet, and there’s footsteps running away. The crunch of sharp rocks under the boots of their enemies fades away. 

And a the ragged breathing of someone nearby can be heard over the world, like shockwaves through the earth during a volcanic eruption. 

“Dan? Dan!” Arin scrambles to his feet cutting his hand on one of the sharp rocks. His breathing is close. Suddenly, Arin is alone in the field of polished black rocks. And he can’t see any sign of Dan anywhere.

What’s happening down there?

The tracker’s been destroyed, Dan is off the radar now-

Agent Dan, what’s happening-

The enemies have been spotted running away-

Help is arriving soon-

The voices of the rest of the team echo in his mind, and suddenly everyone is talking. Ross, without his technological connection with Dan, is panicking. Suzy doesn’t get shaken up too easily, but it’s evident that she’s on the verge of crying. She covers it up by keeping track of the enemies. 

“I can’t- I can’t find him!” Arin shouts. Everyone hushes only for a moment, and immediately scrambles to try to help. 

The ambulance can’t get down there, the rocks are too sharp and there’s no road-

He should be to your right, he was there when he disappeared from the radar-

Stay on guard, we have no idea how many enemies still might be on that beach, Arin do you hear me!

It clicks in his mind. He can’t find Dan. But he can hear him. He heard his breathing not too long ago. 

“I need you guys to be quiet!” 

But they can’t hear him. They’re all panicking, and without Dan there, their perfect team composition has fallen apart. 

Arin’s not gonna be able to find Dan like this. Hesitantly he reaches up to his earpiece, and takes it off. Without it, Arin is disconnected from the rest of his team, and it would take too long to reinsert it. 

Arin could easily die here. 

He listens, and for a moment all he can hear is the crash of water onto the beach below him. Then he hears it. The wheezing gasps coming from the right, somewhere further down the beach. Arin runs, not caring that razor bladed rocks slice into his legs. 

Dan’s there, lying on the white sand. Except the sand around him isn’t white. It’s blood red. The waves have been trying desperately to clean the blood, and the waves that just lapped around him are pink. 

“Dan!” Arin kneels down next to him. Immediately, training kicks in. The bullet entered somewhere under his ribcage, and shot clean through. In this situation, multiple vital organs could be damaged, and Dan is bleeding out. 

He’s dying. 

Dan’s teeth are gritted together, and his breathing is light and fluttery. His hands are shaking as he tries to reach out to Arin. 

“Arin.” he whispers. 

“We’re gonna be fine, you’re gonna be okay, Dan.” Arin searches through his pants, for the small first aid kit that he has on him. He doesn’t have the faintest clue how to fix this, but his hands move on instinct, on training. 

He wads up the gauze, and presses it to Dan’s chest. A scream echos through the island, and Arin flinches away. Dan’s crying now, sobs racking his thin frame and leaving him completely enveloped in shock. The gauze that was a clean white is now stained red. 

Dan is dying. And Arin has no idea how to help. He’s even sure if he can try to stop the bleeding, since the pain of doing so could easily kill Dan. 

Arin fumbles with his earpiece, hooking on the shell of his ear and turning it back on. 

“Dan’s been shot! He’s bleeding out!” Arin sobs. The group goes silent. 

Can you stop the bleeding-

The police are just a minute away from you-

Where was he shot-

We have your location, you’re gonna be fine, Dan-

“I tried, I tried. He… He screamed, I don’t think I can stop it! It’s… It’s right through his chest.” Arin can vaguely hear the shouts of the police, but he can’t even call out to them. Everyone is shouting orders. 

“Dan, Dan can you hear me?” Arin cups his face. Dan’s eyes look glassy and unfocused, and his face has gone a ghostly pale that makes Arin shudder. “You just gotta hang on for a few more minutes, we’re gonna be fine, alright?” 

Police surround them, and the sirens of an ambulance can be heard somewhere in the distance. Someone is holding Dan’s wrist for a moment, and another police officer is talking into his walkie-talkie. 

“There’s no breathing, no pulse-” 

“Sir, we’re going to have to take the body away from you-” A hand is on his shoulder, then a hand is on his wrist, dragging him away from Dan. Arin flails, thrashes around and more people are suddenly there to keep him from struggling. 

“He’s still alive! He’s alive! We need to help him!” Arin screams, and everyone is shouting. 

“Sir! He’s dead! Remain professional!” 

Dan’s dying. 

Dan’s dying. 

Dan’s dead.

-

The rest of the team is at the hospital. The police escort him into a room, where everyone crowds around him, asking what happened. Where was Dan? What room was Dan in? How badly was he hurt? What happened to Arin? 

All thoughts of the mission, of the criminals has disappeared from their minds. Even though they have been trained their entire lives to focus on their missions, the thought of Dan being hurt is too… overwhelming. Too terrible to ignore. 

Suzy’s the first one to notice. There’s so much blood. It’s on Arin’s hands, his legs, his stomach, his face. 

Far too much for the few cuts on his legs. Far too much blood. 

“Arin?” she asks, her voice begging him. No. Please no. 

“It’s his. All his.” Arin looks down at the blood, warm and sticky. “I’m so sorry.” 

-

It takes all of his self restraint not to kill him when Arin first sees him in court. The entire team is there at the testimony. The killer is a tall, muscular man, hardly older than Brian. Everyone tenses up when they first see him. 

He’s smiling. Like he’s a kid in a candy store and he’s just been handed a hundred dollars. 

He’s smiling. Staring straight at them, taunting them. 

He’s smiling. He doesn’t fear anything. Not death, not torture, not pain. 

There’s nothing that they can do to fill the aching emptiness that he has caused. 

This is the man that killed Agent Dan. 

The press is there, from countries all over the world. World powers have spoken about this event, and Acrya’s allies have all sent their condolences to this tragic loss. 

But to see the man smiling. It brings everything into a completely different light. Everyone in the room gets chills. There’s no way of properly explaining it, but this man… he doesn’t seem human. He looks like he enjoyed every drop of blood he spilled. He looks like the type of man that likes to cause pain. 

He has the look in his eye that makes Arin’s blood boil. 

The judge first calls the witness. The only witness. Arin. 

Arin walks up to the witness, feeling something absolutely hateful crawl up his pine when he walks past the murderer. 

Every single word that he says has been rehearsed. Although Arin is the only one speaking, he’s speaking all of the thoughts from the rest of the team. Arin only glances up to look at the man once. 

And the man is nodding. Like he agrees with every single accusation that Arin is throwing at him. Arin can feel his face flush. He’s done with his testimony perfectly memorized and practiced, but he can’t help but add one last sentence. 

“You deserve a lifetime in prison, and an eternity in hell.” Arin snarls. 

The man smiles, and the only comfort that Arin can take is that Arin has friends in jail. People who he’s gotten out of the death penalty. People who owe him their lives. People who would do anything for Arin. 

And Arin knows that they’ll make this man’s life full of suffering.


	3. Green Gummy Bears

If you asked any person to describe two completely different people, it’s likely they’ll describe two people like Arin and Brian. 

Arin, who didn’t even make it to his second day of high school sophomore year, and spent the majority of his life in poverty, struggling to make ends meet. 

Brian, who used to be a theoretical physicist, and gave lectures on scientific theories that most people can’t even pronounce without having a stroke. 

Without their work and Danny, they likely would never have met. And even now, there are definitely moments where they are acutely aware of how different their lives were, how strange it is that they’re friends and how unlikely it is that they’re sitting on the couch, in an office where they make money by recording their playthroughs of video games. 

Today is one of those days. 

The office is empty, since the majority of the office decided to work from home, and Danny was out with his voice trainer. That left just Arin and Brian sitting on the couch, sharing a bag of gummy bears. 

Both of them were thinking about it, and they both knew it. The feeling was in the air, the feeling of doubt. This was so unusually, so hilariously unlikely that it felt like a dream. It felt like they could do anything without consequence. 

“What was being a scientist like?” Arin asks. Brian searches the bag for green gummy bears, collecting them on the palm of his hand. 

“Challenging. Like pushing myself to the limit, I guess. It was… serious. What was starting this channel like?” Brian pops all the green gummy bears into his mouth, and hands the bag back to Arin, who grabs a handful of them at random. 

“I don’t get why you only eat the green ones,” he mutters instead of answering Brian’s question. 

“They taste the best.” 

“I believe in diversity,” Arin says with a smile before eating the rainbow of gummy bears in his hand, “Dumb. It felt dumb. It was just what Jon and I did every day, except we were uploading it online so people can judge us. Never thought we would get here.” 

Again, two completely different paths. 

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” Arin asks, “That we’re here. Like this.” 

“Yeah.” 

“What are the chances?” 

“Are you asking me seriously or rhetorically? Because it is pretty damn small.” Brian sighs when he remembers that he’s already eaten all the green gummy bears. Arin can’t help but smile. A middle aged man who used to be a scientist and is now a musician is sulking over the fact that there aren’t any more green bears. 

“You’re a scientist, do your magic.” 

“I’m a musician.” 

“You play a ninja.” Arin scoffs.

For a few moments, the only sound in the office is the crinkle of the empty plastic bag. 

“Why are we here?” Brian asks. Arin smiles, and wonders to the other side of the office, and tosses him a small item. He catches it with one hand. 

“Because of green gummy bears.”


	4. Ninja Ship Party Origin

The ambush on the ninja academy was unexpected, and all of the younger ninjas were caught off guard. They were unable to do anything more than stare in horror as their friends were cut down by black shadowed enemies. Although the older and more experienced ninjas immediately drew their weapons and made a counter attack, newer and younger ninjas like Danny were in shock. All around them, a battle rages, all of the younger teen aged boys not knowing what to do to help. They didn’t have the knowledge to know how to survive or even try to help. They didn’t have the bravery that would allow them to fight alongside their comrades. They didn’t have the training to try and heal their dying commanders. In their black uniforms and amidst all the yelling, it was impossible to tell who was the enemy and who was a friend. 

In their small, huddled group of junior ninjas, only one of them took out his weapon, a small and almost pathetic looking knife. They ran towards the fighting, disappeared, only to return sprawling from a kick to the stomach. They let out a few heaving coughs. No one helped him, and he immediately scrambled to his feet and rejoined the group of terrified boys. 

The few of them that were too scared to fight were huddled close together, like if they stuck with each other they might be safe. 

But as the next few minutes dragged on by, some of them were picked off. The group that was once maybe a dozen people in number was no more than five or four boys now. Blood was starting to pool onto the floor, making Dan’s stomach turn. Whose blood was it? Were they in pain? Were they hurt?

His eyes followed the red puddle until his gaze saw a body. A man in a black uniform, like all of them were, but… his neck had a nasty looking gash. Danny nearly threw up before he realized that the man was still breathing. 

That made him feel even sicker. He was still alive? He could feel all of this? The pain? The fear? Could he feel death pulling him away? 

Danny immediately let the group, running towards the fallen man. He didn’t even know him. Just the simple fact that he was hurt, and perhaps Dan could help him. He had never been good at fighting, or stealth, or strategy. 

But he had empathy. He searched his uniform, and in a small pocket sewn into his sleeve, was a small pack of medical supplies. He opens it up, pressing the small gauze he has onto the man’s neck. Almost immediately, the white piece of fabric turned bright red, making his stomach turn. He looked around, and the battle was still raging on, although now there were many more bodies on the ground and more screams of pain than of rage. 

“My name’s Danny.” Danny said, trying to stop the bleeding again with more gauze. Thankfully, the wound doesn’t seem too deep. Hopefully it didn’t hit the large vein in his neck. “I’m gonna get you outta here!” Danny shouted, trying to get his voice to carry out through the noise of the battle. The man’s bright blue eyes momentarily glance up at him, glossy and dazed, but determined. Danny gently wrapped his neck with bandage, loose enough that he can still breathe but tight enough that it holds the gauze in place. 

It’s amazing that they haven’t both been killed yet. Maybe it’s because they’re both on the ground, and everyone assumed that they’re both dead. It sends shudders up Danny’s spine. He grabbed both of the man’s arms, and looked around. Not too far away is the exit, and if he’s just able to get there… 

With a deep breath and a rush of adrenaline, Danny lifted the man up, wrapping his arms around his waist and half carrying, half dragging him to the door. Only one ninja turned on them to attack, and before he could swing his weapon at them, he was sent flying through the air by a kick to the chest. He doesn’t move again.

Danny dragged the man outside, the sounds of the battle already starting to fade. Outside, there is no sign of the chaos and the death that is raging on so nearby besides the echoes of pain. It’s a warm and sunny day, and the spring breeze seemed to wipe away all the horrible things he had just seen. 

He dragged the man to the nearby woods, deep enough into the wilderness that no one can spot him. Now that they’re away from the fighting, Danny can thoroughly assess the situation. He removed the gauze from the man’s neck. The cut was deeper than he thought, but not so much so that it looked like he might die. The cut missed the large jugular vein in his neck. With the sounds of metal scraping on metal far away, he can hear the man breathing. 

Weak, struggling, but there. 

He searched his small medical kit. There’s not nearly enough supplies to help this man. He can’t return back to the ninja academy after the attack, he would be branded a traitor and killed. So what can he do?

The ninja academy. It was still under attack. 

He could sneak in and grab something. Maybe even some medical tools. He looked behind him. The battle had slowed down considerably during the time he was away. 

If he was to act, it would have to be now. 

He looked back at the man, and put a finger to his lips.

“I’ll be back soon.” he said before sprinting back in the direction of the building. Already, some people were running away, not bothering to attack Danny. The battle was almost over. Running through what remained of the battle, trying not to step on bodies, and running through hallways, he came to the supply room. Most of the weapons were gone, in use in the hands of their owners, but there were first aids kits all over. No one really kept any of them on them. He grabbed three of them, and looked around. He wished there was a survival kit. Or some food. Or a map. But this was the best he could do on the short notice.

When he was running back out, no one noticed him. The enemy army had almost entirely retreated, except for the few injured ones that couldn’t run. Danny flinched at the thought of what might happen to them.

When he reached the treeline, his heart stopped. He couldn’t see the man. He pushed the branches away, moving deeper into the forest, his eyes scanned the forest floor. There was no way that the man was able to run away, right?

Through all the greys and browns of the shaded forest floor, he saw black fabris. The man had hidden himself in the shade of a large tree, his bright blue eyes glowing in the darkness. 

“Don’t scare me like that.” Danny sighed, but as he moved closer, the man attempted to draw his weapon, wincing, but pulling out a knife. The dull light reflected off of the blade. 

“Don-” The man croaked, immediately going into a coughing fit.

“Hey, bud. I’m not gonna hurt you,” Danny took another step closer, and the man jabbed the blade closer. “Dude, I have a medical kit. What am I gonna do? Plus, you really need some help.” Danny knelt down, opening one of the first aid kits. It had packets of gauze, a roll of brown bandages, a curved needle and thread for stitches and antibacterial ointment. 

“Wh-” another coughing fit. 

“Dude, stop trying to talk. Something happened to your throat, I think I can fix it… maybe.” Danny thought. He wouldn’t be able to do much with the supplies, but at least he would be able to bandage it and put on the ointment. Maybe later he would be able to stitch it up, but he was still too queasy to think about it. 

He reached to the bandage on the man’s neck, watching how the man glared at him like his hand was the edge of a sword. 

“This is gonna hurt a little.” Danny said, gently taking off the gauze and bandage. Again, the man was still bleeding, but less than before. Danny tore open some of the packets of gauze, applying some ointment onto it, and pressed it to the gash on the man’s neck, and a pained hiss made him flinch away. 

“I’m sorry.” The man glared at him. 

“Why?” his voice was hardly a whisper. Danny looked up. 

“Because… I just hurt you.” the man was studying his face. 

“Danny?” 

“Yeah. That’s my name.” 

“Brian.” 

“Nice to meet you, Brian.” Danny said, dressing the wound. “Maybe after this, we can try to talk again without you threatening me, alrighty?” 

“Dumb.” 

“Pal, I’m saving your life.” 

“Kid.” 

“I’m eighteen years old. A legal adult.” Danny said, trying to concentrate on wrapping the bandage around Brian’s neck. 

“Twenty.” 

“You’re crusty and old.” 

The man scoffed. As Danny finally got the bandage securely wrapped around his neck, he studied the man. He was only twenty, yet the scars that decorated his face made him look much older. Like one of the masters at the ninja academy. And he recovered astonishingly quickly. 

“That should work for now. Now, Brian. Can you tell me why you aren’t dead? This,” Danny gestured at his neck, “Would have killed any other human. So what’s up?” Danny sat down on the green grass, enjoying the warmth of the forest and the silence. They should be safe for a few days, since the attack would have crippled the ninja’s forces and patrols would likely be put on hold for a week. 

“Not.” 

“Not… human?” Danny thought for a moment. There were ninjas with powers, the ones that spent their entire lives dedicated to fighting and training. There were the masters, who seemed to know everything and have nothing more important in their lives but training and discipline. But that didn’t really seem like a power. 

“A little.” 

“A little not human?” Danny asked. Brian nodded. “Then what is the little not human bit? Robot?” There was a low murmur from Brian, like a laugh. 

“Weapon.” 

“Weapon?” Danny thought aloud. Although he didn’t want to really think about it, he was starting to doubt if this was a good decision. “How?” 

“Fighting. Purpose.” there was a tone of a sad acceptance in his voice. Danny had the thought that this was probably forced onto him and drilled into his mind. 

“Oh. How? Like, powers?” Brian nodded. “What kind?” 

This kind. 

The voice was inside in his mind, but it definitely wasn’t him. It took all of his control not to jump out of his skin, and he nodded, pretending not to be so impressed. 

“You can read minds?” Brian shook his head. “Just talk to people? In your mind?” Brian nodded. “Why?” 

Stealth missions require immediate and a safe way of communication. It makes me more of a perfect weapon. 

The words send a chill up Danny’s spine. A weapon. 

“Why are you telling me this?” Danny’s voice is a whisper now, scared of the person in front of him. Brian studied his face, the confusion and worry etched onto his expression. 

I… I could have died. No one was there was willing to help me. My lifelong friends. But you… you helped me. I might as well trust you. 

There was betrayal and sadness was woven into his thought, even though the words weren’t spoken at all. 

“Maybe… it’s time for you to get some new friends. You can trust me.” Danny said with a patient smile. Brian swallowed thickly, pain flaring up in his neck. 

Maybe it is.


	5. Prom?

“Really, I don’t get why you’re freaking out so much.” Suzy mutters, watching Arin nervously pace around in his garage. “Like, everyone already knows that you like him. I’m sure he knows about it, too.” 

This seems to catch Arin’s attention. 

“How?” he asks, like the answer isn’t the most obvious thing in the world. He looks even more nervous now, running his hands through his long hair over and over again, something he usually does during math tests and science projects. Suzy sighs. Her attempt at calming down didn’t work. 

“You’re not really all that straight, and neither is he. You’re two of the most openly gay people in the school, so everyone just assumed.” She says. Although the two of them were never seen together except for the few times where they were working on group projects, people just paired them off. There weren’t many gay boys in school, so logically, there weren’t many options for them. 

“And how do people know that?” Arin’s voice is only getting higher and higher as he realizes that he’s not so under the radar as he wished he was. Suzy rolls her eyes. 

“You have an entire fucking club dedicated to looking at other guys dicks, Arin. You’re dumb as shit.” Suzy says, and before Arin can ask another question, Suzy butts in again, “And Danny used to date Brian. Before he graduated. But that was last year, so hopefully he’s over it.” 

Arin nods a few times, letting the information process. He thought that it was his secret, his personal burden. But he was much more obvious than he thought he was. It’s a little bit of a weight off of his shoulders. At least everyone would expect him to come to prom with a boy. It won’t be a complete surprise to them. 

Just to Arin and Dan. 

Arin had nervously asked a few days before if he had anyone to go to the dance with, and Dan just shook his head. Arin knew for a fact that Dan was single, and also that he had been single since his last boyfriend left the school last year to go to college. It put him a little on edge, that Dan had been single up until this point. Maybe he didn’t want to go to the dance? Maybe he was happily single? It was strange, but not uncommon. 

Arin keeps on looking at his phone. It’s only thirty or so minutes before Dan’s supposed to show up, and only five minutes before the rest of his friends are supposed to show up as well. He’s still in the garage, trying to soothe himself with the cool air. Suzy arrived early, knowing Arin the best and knowing that he’s probably going to be freaking out. 

Ross arrives a few minutes later, with a teasing grin on his face. 

“I knew you were gay.” is the first thing he says, hugging Arin close. It’s like nothing between them changed, surprisingly. Ross is still the annoying friend that loves him, and Arin is relieved. Although he jokes that life would actually be worth living if Ross wasn’t his friend, it’s always just a joke. Holly arrives with him, her calm and quiet personality setting him at ease. 

“You okay?” she asks, once Ross and Suzy run upstairs to set up a few things for the promposal. “You look a little nervous.” 

“I’m good, it’s just a little…” Arin trails off, and Holly has a understanding smile on her face. 

“I know. It must be scary, I’m sure. But it’ll be fine.” she gently lifts a hand to his face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. She’s always been the one that Arin turns to when he’s stressed or confused, and she knows him inside and out. “You’re really something else, aren’t you?” 

“What do you mean?” Arin asks, hoping to get a few more minutes of conversation with her before Ross comes back downstairs. 

“Asking a boy you barely know out to prom. Coming out. The D club.” she adds the last part with a laugh. “I’m really proud of the person you’ve become.” 

Holly, although it isn’t always obvious, has always been his friend. They met in freshman year, and she really has watched him grow as a person for the past four years. She was always there, always there to offer advice and give suggestions, or sometimes just listen to him. Sometimes that’s all anyone can do. 

And he repaid her by introducing her to Ross. Although it doesn’t seem like a repayment more than a horrible punishment, they surprisingly fell in love. His irritating and slightly sadistic personality seemed to balance out Holly’s gentle and understanding nature. They were a perfect couple. 

“I’ve only become the person I am because of your help.” Holly smiles. 

“HEY ARIN I THOUGHT YOU WERE ASKING OUT THAT BOY, NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!” Ross shouts as he runs back downstairs, pretending to be angry as he puts himself between Arin and his girlfriend, making a face at Arin, who rolls his eyes. Holly’s giggling from behind Ross. “HOW DARE YOU TRY TO STEAL AWAY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!” 

“I’M GAY ROSS!” Arin yells back, just as loud. Holly’s laughing, placing a hand on Ross’s shoulder, pulling him back a few feet. 

“Babe, stop.” she says, still laughing. Ross huffs, and turns around. 

“Well, we finished setting up everything upstairs, if you wanna check it out.” Ross finally drops the act, and turns to his girlfriend, who’s still smiling from his act. She runs upstairs, and in a few moments they can hear Holly and Suzy talking upstairs. Ross takes a deep breath, and turns back to Arin, the silliness in his face gone. 

“I heard what she said. And she’s right. It’s been a journey to watch you grow up, from a tiny dumb baby to a slightly larger dumb baby.” Ross can’t help but be goofy, but it’s the most serious Arin has seen Ross in the entire time he’s known him. Ross smiles back at him. “I totally knew you were gay, though.” 

“Yeah, yeah I got it.” Arin rolls his eyes. There’s a moment of happy silence between them before the doorbell rings, making both of them jump. The muttering from the two girls upstairs immediately hushes, followed by the sounds of running footsteps. Arin glances at Ross, who runs up the stairs. Suddenly, he’s alone again. His heart is pounding, and without any of his friends with him, he feels just as nervous and anxious as before. 

Arin opens the door, and Dan is standing at the entrance, smiling. He’s in a tee shirt that’s too big for him and ripped jeans. Arin can feel his mouth go dry. 

“Hi Danny.” he tries to smile, and Dan smiles back, much more easily. 

“Hey Arin.” 

Arin’s mind is racing. What was the plan again? Was everyone in place? Would everyone remember what they were supposed to do? He can hear his heart pounding in his ears as he leads Dan upstairs to the living room. Thankfully, no one was there, and the TV was already there with a video game setup. 

Dan goes to sit on the couch, but Arin races forward and takes the right side of the couch, smiling awkwardly. Dan brushes it off like it’s nothing, and sits down. Dan takes the controller, and looks through the games that Arin has downloaded. Finally, he choses one that he’s excited about. 

“God, I wanted to play this one for a while! I just got so caught up with finals and exams and I just… God,” Dan says with a smile on his face, his eyes fixed on the TV screen. He plays the first few levels surprisingly well, even finding some secrets in the game. They joke around, and talk while Dan plays. 

“How did you get so good at the game if you’ve never played it before?” Arin asks. Dan shrugs, his eyes never leaving the TV screen. Arin takes this chance to quickly text Holly. 

Soon.

“I just watched a couple of Youtubers play it.” 

“Doesn’t that kinda ruin the game for you?” Arin asks, trying to hide his nervousness. He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he knows that Holly replied to him, ready for him to ask Danny the question. 

“Not really.” 

Dan only plays for a few more minutes. He pauses the game to take a break for his hands when Arin reaches to the right of the couch, to the present that was hidden from Dan’s view. When he shows Dan, is reaction is immediate. It’s a basket wrapped in clear plastic, and in the basket was an assortment of new video games, candy, and soda. Dan lets out a small gasp, and Arin gently hands it over to him, and through the plastic, Dan looks at all the games. 

“Dude, what… these are all new.” Dan whispers. Arin can feel the heat building up in his face. “This must cost a fortune.” 

“I guess so.” Arin says with a shy smile. Dan looks up at him. 

“Are you bribing me?” he asks with a playful smile. He seems to have caught on. He’s heard the rumors that Arin was trying to ask him to prom. But he never thought that Arin would be so nervous about asking. 

“Um…” 

“Are you asking me something?” Dan tries to encourage him. 

“Um… I was just wondering… If you wanted to go to prom with me?” Arin asked, his voice barely a whisper. Dan only takes a moment to study Arin’s face, red and flushed, nervous etched onto his expression. 

“You blush when you’re nervous.” he gently points out. Arin only blushes a dark shade of red. 

“I guess you just make me nervous.” 

Dan laughs, examining the present again. He thought that it would be possible that Arin might ask him out, but he didn’t think that he would plan it out so well. Or that he would care so much. 

“Of course I’ll go with you.” Dan says with a smile, enjoying the face of immense relief on Arin’s face. All of a sudden, the sound of loud, running footsteps and yelling makes both of them jump. They both turn around to see Ross, with his phone recording them on the couch. 

“NICE, ARIN YOU FINALLY BUILT UP THE COURAGE TO ASK A CUTE BOY OUT!” Ross shouts, zooming in onto Dan’s bewildered and scared face. Holly and Suzy both rush downstairs, offering congratulations to the two of them. Arin looks at Dan sheepishly, with a smile on his face. 

“You really did plan this out, didn’t you?” Dan asks, actually a little touched by how happy everyone was for the two of them. 

“Yeah, well… planning nice things out do increase your chances of getting a date, right?” Arin says, a blush still on his face.


End file.
